Mississauga votes for McCallion’s replacement

Bonnie Crombie has been declared Mississauga’s first new mayor in almost four decades as residents cast their vote on Monday to replace Hazel McCallion.

Crombie, 54, was the city’s MP from 2008 to 2011 and switched over to the role of councillor in the September 2011 byelection after losing her federal seat.

She was virtually neck-and-neck with Steve Mahoney for the majority of the race until backing from McCallion saw her number surge.

“I assessed it fully, I consulted with others and my decision was that Bonnie’s platform is the best for the challenges that Mississauga’s facing now and the challenges that are coming down the pipe,” McCallion explained.

The beloved 93-year-old mayor — nicknamed Hurricane Hazel — won 12 municipal elections in a row but announced shortly after winning in 2010 that this would be her last term in office.

When the ballots were tallied Crombie took in 102,346 votes, which equals 62 per cent of the eligible electorate.

Meanwhile in nearby Brampton, it seemed Susan Fennell couldn’t shake a spending scandal that plagued the last year of tenure as mayor.

Linda Jeffrey, who had consistently been the frontrunner throughout the campaign, was elected mayor with almost 50 per cent of the vote.

Last August an audit found Fennell filed more than $172,000 in expenses that breached city policies, though some $41,000 were repaid. On Friday, days before the election, she announced that an arbitrator’s report had revealed $3,000 in improper spending versus the nearly $200,000 cited in a forensic audit and found that Deloitte “misinterpreted expense policies.” Fennell said the arbitrator was hired by the City of Brampton.

Fennell wasn’t the only mayor heading into the election with controversy.

Markham mayor Frank Scarpitti’s attempt to bring an NHL-size arena to the area drew criticism by many, especially when the city refused to make public consultation reports on the project, which cost taxpayers $720,000. The plan was eventually voted down by council last July.

However, when the ballots came in, Scarpitti was reelected with over 70 per cent of the vote.

Other mayors who held onto their positions were Steve Parish in Ajax, Tony Van Bynen in Newmarket and John Henry in Oshawa.